CMT Awards honor Allman and give awards to Urban, Underwood

Friday

Jun 9, 2017 at 4:00 AM

By MESFIN FEKADU AP Music Writer

CMT Awards honor Allman, award Urban, Underwood

Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum and Derek Trucks kicked off the 2017 CMT Music Awards with a rocking tribute to southern rocker Gregg Allman, who died last month at age 69.

It started with Aldean, Rucker and Kelley singing the Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider" a cappella, before being joined by a full band including Trucks on guitar.

The performance earned a standing ovation Wednesday from the audience at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, which included country music's top stars, along with Hollywood actors and musicians from the rock, pop and R&B worlds.

Ashton Kutcher, Jada Pinkett Smith and Katherine Heigl will present awards at the show on CMT, where performers include Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Frampton and the Chainsmokers.

Little Big Town won the first televised award of the night, taking home group video of the year for "Better Man," their No. 1 hit that was written by Taylor Swift.

Band member Karen Fairchild thanked the group's fans onstage "for making this such a big hit."

The Grammy-winning act is among the performers of the night, which includes Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldredge, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Luke Bryan will sing with Jason Derulo, while Earth, Wind & Fire will join Lady Antebellum and Frampton will perform with Brothers Osborne.

The Chainsmokers, who taped their performance Tuesday, collaborated with Florida Georgia Line on a song called "Last Day Alive," off the duo's album "Memories ... Do Not Open," which came out earlier this year.

Urban, nominated for four awards, is the leading nominee at the fan-voted show. His clip for the slow groove "Blue Ain't Your Color" is nominated for the night's biggest award -- video of the year -- along with music videos by Underwood, Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line and Cole Swindell.

Underwood, who has won video of the year six times, is also nominated for collaboration of the year ("The Fighter" with Urban) and female video of the year ("Church Bells").

The CMT Music Awards are being hosted by "Nashville" actor Charles Esten. Rising acts will perform on the Firestone Stage, including Alaina, Brett Young, Chris Lane, Jon Pardi and Midland.

Macy's eyeing rooftop expansion to flagship NYC store

NEW YORK (AP) -- The department store chain Macy's is considering a rooftop addition to its flagship store in New York City's Herald Square neighborhood.

The plan, announced Tuesday, would add restaurants and green space to the roof of the 2.2 million-square-foot building on 34th Street.

A Macy's executive told the New York Post that the flagship building has become even more valuable as businesses have opened in the nearby Hudson Yards redevelopment, which saw the addition of a new subway station in 2015.

Macy's says the rooftop idea is meant to encourage people to go through the store either on their way up to or down from the roof's attractions.

Madeleine Albright's next book warns of fascism's dangers

NEW YORK (AP) -- Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, is worried about democracy.

Albright's next book, "Fascism," is a warning that democratic governments are "fragile" and the United States under President Donald Trump is enduring its own crisis.

"The author examines the economic, religious, racial, and cultural factors that are today dividing populations and fostering bigotry across the globe, while also looking at how demagogues from Mussolini to Duterte have attracted followers by exploiting fear, nurturing anger, and promising easy answers to complex problems," according to HarperCollins.

"Fascism" is part of a two-book deal with HarperCollins and will come out April 2018, the publisher told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Her second book, not yet titled, will be a memoir about her years since leaving the State Department in 2001. Albright, who served under President Bill Clinton, has written the memoirs "Prague Winter" and "Madam Secretary."

At least two other books by former secretaries of state are scheduled. Hillary Clinton's book of essays will be out this fall. John Kerry, who succeeded Clinton in the Obama administration, is working on a memoir.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, recently published "Democracy." Rice's book examines self-government worldwide and urges the U.S. to be a leader in advocating for freedom and human rights.